Shell shuts Bonny Light oil export line to remove theft points

The Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell Plc said it had shut down the Nembe Creek Trunk Line, which exports Bonny Light crude oil, in order to remove theft points.

The managing director of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said the company was working to “remove a significant number of oil theft connections and repair any leaks on pipeline.”

The line is one of two, along with the Trans Niger Pipeline, that carries Bonny Light crude oil to the export terminal. Exports of roughly 232,000 barrels per day (bpd) were planned in April, according to loading programmes, but it was not immediately clear how much of this would be impacted by the pipeline shutdown.

“SPDC will work with the security forces during shutdown to clear illegal connections on NCTL,” SPDC said.